Stocks closed to a mixed finish today as a two-week rally lost momentum. News of a retrenchment by FedEx also discouraged buyers. Stocks have been rising for most of September, but on unusually weak volume as skepticism lingers about the economy. FedEx, an economic bellwether, darkened the mood with an announcement that it would eliminate 1,700 jobs in an... Full story »

Investors looking for reassurances about the health of the global economy received just that yesterday. Stocks extended their rally into a third week after global regulators agreed to new rules for how much money banks must hold in reserves, China reported its economy remains robust and companies announced a flurry of new takeovers. “The package of catalysts is a... Full story »

By Dalila-Johari Paul On a Saturday morning in the summer of 2005, Kimberlee Williams officially becomes a “real” grown-up. She slips a ring on her bride’s left hand and says, “I do.” Williams smiles as she enters this agreement with her new wife, Tashia Burton. The childhood friends are becoming lifelong partners. It’s a small, intimate ceremony at Edgemont... Full story »

Improving lives of Ugandan children is a top priority for Holmdel entrepreneur. STORY BY DALILA-JOHARI PAUL / STAR-LEDGER STAFF PHOTO BY TONY KURDZUK / FOR THE STAR-LEDGER In Masaka, Uganda, intuition tells Sylvia Allen that a man dying of AIDS needs to feel a human touch to know he is still alive. Rather than a prayer, Allen offers to... Full story »

Christmas is exactly three months away and Chanukah, which falls on Dec. 11 this year, is even closer, which means (groan) it’s a fabulous time to start saving for the winter holidays. Here are eight ways to prepare. Approach No. 1: Be a smart saver. Decide how much you want to spend on gifts and divide that total by... Full story »

Eric Claus sees a divided future in the grocery aisle. There will be high-end supermarkets and value-priced stores but few midlevel stores, he said. That's why the chief executive of Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea is gearing up to modernize his stores for price-conscious shoppers who have been stung by the recession. Full story »

Roche announced a new corporate executive committee to help run the pharmaceutical company when three of the company's top leaders retire in January. William Burns, 62, chief executive of the pharmaceutical division, Juergen Schwiezer, 65, chief executive officer of diagnostics, and Jonathan Knowles, 62, head of group research, are expected to resign from the corporate executive committee. Full story »

Just as the government's cash-for-clunkers program reaches the end of the road, a new plan to help sell household appliances is preparing to kick off. The program, set to launch in October or November, will provide some $300 million in rebates to consumers who replace older appliances with new, more energy efficient ones. Full story »

Q. I am 55 and have $200,000 of life insurance through work, and I pay $160 per month for an additional $300,000 of supplemental coverage through work. My wife has about $250,000 of life insurance through work. I have also had a supplemental policy at work that costs $160 per month for $300,000 of coverage. Should I continue the supplemental... Full story »

After the collapse of Lehman Brothers a year ago led to a sickening slide in the stock market, many individual investors yanked their money out of stocks. But a year later, research shows that most investors stuck with their investing plans -- because they had faith in the long-term prospects of the stock market, or simply because it was easier... Full story »

Investors sent stocks higher for a second day in a row today, giving all the major indexes a moderate boost and adding to the gains that followed upbeat comments from the Federal Reserve a day earlier. Financial, technology and energy companies were among the big winners, while stocks in defensive, or relatively safer, industries like health care fell. Retailers declined... Full story »

Q. I recently sold a vacation home and realized a considerable profit. I currently pay my taxes through withholdings on my Social Security and pension, and receive a refund when I file my tax return. Do I need to pay capital gains taxes now or can I wait until I file my return in 2010? And if I can wait,... Full story »

The recession is shaking up a lot of things, including the conventional notion of the permanent, full-time job. Susan Ascher, who runs a contract staffing firm in Roseland, predicts the work force of the future is more likely to have what she calls portfolio careers. Instead of holding a full-time job, individuals will do a combination of things, a part-time... Full story »

Health insurers, unions and other private groups that paid for prescriptions for withdrawn painkiller Vioxx have reached an $80 million settlement with its maker, ending another part of the multipronged litigation. Such third-party payers had filed about 190 claims against Whitehouse Station-based drugmaker Merck & Co. They said they would not have covered Vioxx had they known about its cardiovascular... Full story »

Department stores are having such trouble moving designer fashions they are turning to house brands to try to drum up sales in a weak retail environment. But there is one kind of apparel that seems to be recession-proof even though it isn't exactly fashion forward: the school uniform. Full story »

HSBC Holdings and Barclays shrugged off the near-collapse of Britain's banking system to report combined profits of more than 5 billion pounds ($8.4 billion) yesterday, fueling talk of financial recovery and raising fears of a return of the banking bonus culture. The solid results from the pair, which shunned a government bailout at the height of the crisis last year,... Full story »

The Standard & Poor's 500 index is four digits again. The widely used stock market measure broke above 1,000 today for the first time in nine months as reports on manufacturing, housing and banking sent investors more signals the economy is gathering strength. The S&P is used as a benchmark for many mutual funds. Full story »

My spending moratorium has elicited some strange behavior from my family and friends. For the first time in my life, my mother encouraged me to drink. What happened was a friend invited me to a happy hour recently. Having a drink with friends is one of life's great pleasures, so of course I said "Yes." Then I remembered my spending... Full story »

Denied a federal bailout, CIT Group Inc. said late yesterday its board and management continue to seek alternatives to shore up the company's cash position and remain in talks with potential lenders to secure financing and stave off a bankruptcy protection filing. CIT saw its shares plunge 75 percent Thursday as bondholders scrambled to find an 11th-hour solution that would... Full story »

Health care products maker Johnson & Johnson yesterday said its second-quarter profit fell 3.5 percent as the global recession, weak dollar and generic competition took their toll on sales, particularly for prescription drugs. Still, the world's most broadly based health care company handily beat Wall Street's restrained expectations, as J&J reduced spending on sales, administration and research by about 13... Full story »